Albany Academy makes most of unique situation

By Brien Bouyea

Thursday, March 21, 2013

ALBANY -- Brian Fruscio would love for the Albany Academy boys basketball team to be a part of the Section II landscape. He would be thrilled to see the Cadets building rivalries with the area's elite programs such as Troy High and Christian Brothers Academy as a member of the Big 10.

Fruscio, however, isn't going to concern himself with things beyond his control. After all, life as a basketball nomad has been quite prosperous for Albany Academy. The Cadets (14-4) have been ranked No. 1 in the Class A state poll for most of the season and today they will meet fourth-ranked Nazareth (23-5) in the semifinals of the Federation Tournament of Champions. Game time is 3:15 p.m. at Times Union Center.

Albany Academy is participating in the tournament under the banner of the Association of Independent Schools. The Cadets have faced elite competition throughout the season thanks to an ambitious schedule that has taken them to all corners of the state.

"It would be great to play more teams in our area and there are a lot of good things that come with being in a league in Section II, but we're in a unique situation," said Fruscio, who has been the head coach at Albany Academy since 2007 when the school still a member of the Colonial Council. "We like where we are. It gives us some great opportunities. This team has really had some outstanding experiences it would never get otherwise. We've bonded as team because of all the time we're on a bus, eating together on the road, being on an overnight. It's a lot like a college program."

Albany Academy lost twice to Long Island Lutheran (AIS member, ranked No. 1 in the state in Class AA) and once to Bishop Kearney (Class AA state champion, ranked No. 4). Both of those teams are competing in the Federation Tournament. The other loss, which was avenged later in the season, was to Green Tech.

"We've played such a great schedule and we've improved so much because of it," Cadets senior guard Jack Morrow said. "You only get better by playing teams that will test you and force you to bring your best. That's what we've done. I'm really happy with how we've responded all season."

Albany Academy's dominance necessitated the end of its affiliation with the Colonial Council, which is comprised primarily of Class B and Class C schools. The Cadets hoped to compete in the Big 10 for basketball only, but that arrangement was not approved by the league, leaving them as a Section II independent before joining the AIS.

"It hasn't been easy. The Big 10 wasn't interested in a basketball-only member and playing as a Section II independent was difficult," Fruscio said. "We weren't treated the best and a number of schools really didn't want any part of us being around. A couple years ago we were ranked No. 2 in the state in Class AA and we were only seeded fourth in Section II. They didn't know what to do with us. It's more of a fair arrangement with the AIS. They really appreciate us and that's all we can ask for. We are making the best of our situation."

One obstacle Albany Academy is now dealing with is inactivity. The Cadets have not played a game in more than a month because they were sitting out the sectional and state tournaments.

"We're really itching to get back out there and play a game," Albany Academy senior guard Darrien White said. "It feels like we've been back in preseason. We've looked at it as a positive because we've been working hard on our conditioning and getting back to the basic fundamentals, but we'd certainly rather have been playing all along. You worry about being rusty."

The Cadets have known for a couple of weeks that they would be facing Nazareth in the Federation Tournament. The schools met in the Watervliet Tournament in late December with Albany Academy earning a 48-44 victory over the Brooklyn-based Kingsmen.

"They're super athletic and they attack the rim," Fruscio said. "They don't shoot many 3s, but they have four or five fast New York City guards and a 6-foot-9 guy who is a great rebounder. They have a bone to pick with us and we will have to be very solid fundamentally. We may have snuck up on them before, but that won't happen again."

Cadets junior guard John Moutopoulos said his team won't be intimidated by Nazareth's athleticism.

"We've seen everything this year and been in all kinds of situations against all kinds of teams," Moutopoulos said. "We won't get rattled. We have a deep team and we stay composed. I like our chances against just about anybody."

As for the future of the Albany Academy basketball program, Fruscio says the school is keeping all its options open.

"We like where we are at with the AIS and not being locked into a set league schedule. That gives us a lot of advantages in how we can approach the season," Fruscio said. "On the other hand, there are a lot of unknowns when it comes to the future of some of the smaller schools in the Big 10. There is always a good amount of realignment talk in Section II. We would of course listen and be open to considering any possible opportunities that could emerge, but if we stay right where we are it won't bother me one bit."

No matter what happens in the Federation Tournament, Fruscio said he is proud of all his team has accomplished this season.

"We didn't know what to expect. I think if people were asked before the season if they thought we would more likely be 4-14 or 14-4 most of them would have said 4-14," Fruscio said. "There were a lot of unknowns at the start, but these guys are extremely competitive and they're gym rats. They love basketball. No matter what happens this weekend we've won already. To be competing in this tournament right here in Albany is something this team and our entire school can take a lot of pride in."